New Bihar BJP panel to select 17 Lok Sabha poll candidates

A decision regarding the issue was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Bihar BJP in charge Bhupendra Choubey in Patna on Thursday.

Patna: A three-member committee has been formed by Bihar unit of the BJP to select candidates for the 17 seats it would be contesting in the general elections.

A decision regarding the issue was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Bihar BJP in charge Bhupendra Choubey in Patna on Thursday.

Party leaders said that deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and BJP state president Nityanand Rai have been authorised to discuss with election committee and prepare a list of candidates which will be presented before the party’s parliamentary board for final approval. “BJP has set the goal to ensure the victory of NDA candidates on all 40 seats. Selection of candidates and seat allocations will be finalized soon,” BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand told this newspaper after the election committee meeting on Thursday.

BJP and JD(U) in Bihar have agreed to contest on 17 seats each. Reports suggest that the three-party NDA in Bihar — JD(U), BJP and LJP have already met several times earlier and a final announcement is expected soon, BJP leaders said.